1 KeyBank congratulates Heritage Medal honorees, Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Bracy E. Lewis, and A. Malachi Mixon III, for their contributions to the city and citizens of Cleveland through strong leadership, sharp vision, and enduring commitment. Their dedication and tireless service have lifted neighbors and neighborhoods across our region and we are forever grateful for their influence and impact.

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1 The Cleveland Heritage Medal 2020

2 3 What if our residents had not had Bracy E. Lewis in their corner, working tirelessly to lessen financial barriers strengthened by systemic racism?

What if the business world did not include A. Malachi Mixon III, whose investing and founding acumen led to innovative To reflect on the Cleveland Heritage Medal in improvements in health care? 2020, during these exceptionally challenging times, is to ponder the profound impact of this The creation of the Cleveland Heritage Medal in 2015 was intended year’s honorees. Considering the community’s to be the highest civilian award recognizing the greatest contributions prospects in the absence of these three that an individual has made to the City. It is the ultimate testimony of individuals is a daunting exercise. the selfless devotion to the betterment of Cleveland.

What if our community had not been graced Modeled after the Presidential Medal of Freedom, this award by the ambition and intellect of Jeanette is bestowed upon those individuals who are truly pillars of the Grasselli Brown? community, those individuals who have gone above and beyond the traditional community volunteerism and changed the landscape of Cleveland.

4 5 Like the previous 17 awardees, those who comprise our newest class are stellar. They represent the best in leadership that the City Akram Boutros, M.D., FACHE of Cleveland has borne witness to in its 224 years. President and CEO The MetroHealth System The inaugural class of 2016 — Morton L. Mandel; Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.; Sandra Pianalto; Richard W. Pogue; and Senator George V. Voinovich — set the standard for this prestigious recognition. Alex Johnson, Ph.D. President Like the recipients before them, the Class of 2020 — Jeanette Cuyahoga Community College Grasselli Brown, Bracy E. Lewis and A. Malachi Mixon III — were selected by the Cleveland Heritage Medal committee utilizing the established process that focuses on merit, longevity and The Honorable Frank G. Jackson notable results. Mayor City of Cleveland Please join us as we celebrate their legacies.

6 7 Committee

8 9 2020 Cleveland Heritage Committee Members Medal Chairs Warren Anderson Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE The Anderson-DuBose President and CEO, Company The MetroHealth System Arthur Anton Alex Johnson, PhD President, Cuyahoga Teresa Metcalf Beasley Community College McDonald Hopkins

The Honorable April Miller Boise Frank G. Jackson Eaton Corporation Mayor, City of Cleveland Marc Byrnes Oswald Companies

Jason Chamoun Symba Brand Solutions

Joseph DiRocco Fifth Third Bank

10 11 Trina Evans Robert Maschke Sean Richardson Eddie Taylor KeyBank Robert Maschke Architects Huntington National Bank Taylor Oswald

Robert Glick Elizabeth McIntyre Enid Rosenberg Gina Vernaci Fairmount Management Crain’s Cleveland Business Mark Ross Foundation Don Graves Randell McShepard PwC RPM International, Inc. Ben Vinson III David Heller Rev. Dr. Stephen Rowan Case Western Reserve The NRP Group Dan Moulthrop Bethany Baptist Church University The Sharon Sobol Jordan Victor Ruiz Brad Whitehead Unify Labs Pat Pastore Esperanza, Inc. The Fund for Our Economic PNC Bank Future and The Brookings Len Komoroski Baiju Shah Institution /Rocket Peter Raskind The Cleveland Foundation Mortgage FieldHouse The Cleveland Museum Vanessa L. Whiting, Esq. of Art Tony Sias A.E.S. Management India Pierce Lee Karamu House Corporation The Cleveland Foundation David Reynolds KeyBank Robyn Minter Smyers Lorna Wisham Jeneen Marziani Thompson Hine FirstEnergy Foundation Bank of America

12 13 Criteria and Award Description

14 15 No city can thrive without them. They are the dedicated this award by a 35-person committee made up of other dedicated community leaders committed to creating and sustaining a city of community and corporate leaders. true greatness — one that provides opportunities for businesses to prosper, for new ideas to flourish, for cultural richness to thrive and But for these extraordinary men and women, the magnificent story for residents to enjoy the opportunity for an exceptional quality of life. and would not be what it is today.

During its 224 years, Cleveland has been a city blessed with These individuals have demonstrated leadership in civic, accomplished leaders from civic, business, philanthropic and philanthropic or corporate spheres, or have made an impact in government spheres. Their contributions have created the lasting another private or public endeavor. Their community impact reflects heritage that makes Cleveland the city it is today. service to others marked by compassion and selflessness. They espouse teamwork as necessary to making a difference in our This year’s recipients of the Cleveland Heritage Medal are true community, actively encouraging the contributions of others. representatives of that legacy of leadership. Their impact on the city and region has far exceeded that which would be expected of them The individuals we honor with the Cleveland Heritage Medal have in their positions of influence. These honorees were selected for also demonstrated the courage and respect as they take on

16 17 difficult yet consequential initiatives for the good of Cleveland and its residents. These exceptional leaders are committed to fostering a community of inclusion and diversity, where differences are celebrated and all have the opportunity to participate. They are people of the highest character, serving as role models for others in the community.

Without them, the story of Cleveland could not be told.

Outstanding leaders are the foundation of a city’s heritage. With this honor, we celebrate the individuals who are creating today the great Cleveland of tomorrow.

18 19 Making of the Medal

20 21 Commissioned to design the Cleveland Heritage Medal, the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) — one of the nation’s top art and design schools — created a competition among its graphic design upperclassmen. They were asked to envision a medal that represented the city’s rich heritage.

MetroHealth President and CEO Akram Boutros, M.D., FACHE, judged the competition.

The winning design by Euclid native Jessica Sandy is emblazoned with three iconic Cleveland landmarks — the Veterans Memorial Bridge, and . Its more subtle elements include five stars, which also adorn the city’s seal and symbolize each of the five times Cleveland was named an All-American City by the National Civic League. The five stars also represent the five characteristics of the Cleveland Heritage Medal recipients: Service to others Teamwork Courage and respect Inclusion and diversity Being a role model

22 23 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honorees

24 25 2020 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honoree Jeanette Grasselli Brown

26 27 As a child, Dr. Jeanette Grasselli Brown was intensely curious about nature and the world. “Like most children, I would observe something and then ask, ‘Why?’”

If I can help others by participating in The future scientist’s father, while not educated beyond eighth grade, stoked his daughter’s appetite for discovery. “I was fascinated with things I explored and leading organizations…not only with my dad,” she says. “I would read the Popular Mechanics magazines pushing my own achievements a little he’d leave around the house…We’d spend hours looking up at the black sky, higher, but helping my community trying to challenge each other with what the stars could be.” Her father was grow…I want to do that. I genuinely not surprised when young Jenny Gecsy gravitated toward a STEM curriculum and career — decades before STEM was part of the national conversation. care about our city and about all the Her mother, on the other hand, needed time to get used to the idea. great people and institutions here. “Women’s careers, then, were most often in nursing, teaching or — Jeanette Grasselli Brown administrative work,” Dr. Grasselli Brown allows. “My mother thought I would go the usual route of being a mother and homemaker — which was highly respected and wonderful, and I aspired to that as well — but I certainly never thought there would be a conflict between being a scientist and having a home and being close to family and friends.”

28 29 The only daughter of Hungarian Catholic immigrants, Dr. Grasselli Brown says, who helped her win a scholarship to attend University and secure grew up in Cleveland’s Hungarian neighborhood near Buckeye Road and a job in the university’s chemistry department. Dr. Grasselli Brown graduated Harvey Rice, the public elementary school she attended. “Cleveland had summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from OU in 1950 and went on to earn one of the best educational systems in the nation,” she asserts. “I had her master’s degree from what is now Case Western Reserve University. Since advanced classes in elementary and middle school…including homemaking then, she has been awarded 13 honorary doctorate degrees and an executive and woodworking…and I took French from the 4th grade on. By the time I got management certification from the University of California at Berkeley. to high school (John Adams), I was taking chemistry and meteorology, and actually got to go up in an airplane and take over the controls for a minute.” Education, science and community have been recurring themes for Dr. Grasselli Brown throughout her life. She adores learning and mentoring While Dr. Grasselli Brown is proud of her Central European heritage, she and “pointing out the fun of science…It truly is magical to start to understand places even greater emphasis on her family’s American patriotism. “My the world around you, and then to create new projects and programs to help mother insisted we stop speaking Hungarian in the house. I remember her advance the world of science and to make our communities and world better.” saying to me, ‘Remember, you are American first and foremost, but never forget your Hungarian roots.’ I thought that was very good advice.” Blazing Trails in the Executive Ranks of BP Dr. Grasselli Brown’s career with BP and predecessor The Standard Oil Dr. Grasselli Brown credits her parents for providing “a set of values and Company (Ohio) spanned nearly 40 years. She worked first in various support system,” but says, “The person who really cemented my interest research positions and then, with some reluctance, moved in science was my high school chemistry teacher.” It was Mr. Shaal, she into management.

30 31 She retired as director of corporate research, analytical and environmental woman. I was clear about what the expectations were for any job and I made sciences in 1989. sure it was known that I was motivated by achievement.” She also tried to be collaborative and find ways to help others. “I had fun at what I did, and I “I loved my research career, but I realized by moving into management I think that might have been contagious.” could help other women and other people around me,” she says. During her tenure, she was able to affect salaries, work schedules, childcare and Dr. Grasselli Brown notes that there are “some great things happening with professional development for women and minorities, particularly those just women in science programs,” such as Women Living STEM, Women in STEM starting families. and Entrepreneurship (WISE), Women Inventors Committee (WIC), and the Girls Who Code clubs. “We see a continuing interest in the Northeastern “I remember being very demanding to higher management,” she says. “These Ohio Science and Engineering fair, where women are participating at the women were highly professional, and we couldn’t stop their professional same ratio as young men. Conferences, such as Living STEM, serve to development, their conference attendance and publishing opportunities, stimulate interest and eliminate stereotypes. just because they worked part time.” Dr. Grasselli Brown often was the only woman in management meetings, which were composed of 80 of the global “Many of our high schools in also are developing STEM company’s top executives. programs,” she adds, recalling a report published by the board of the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council when she was “What I think helped me was that I did work hard, and I earned the respect a member in the mid-1980s. “It served as a real wake-up call because it of my colleagues,” she says. “I was never defensive about being the only was full of facts documenting the discrepancy that existed between the

32 33 population and women’s participation in science courses and careers. We “I also was lucky to be able to form the Federation of Analytical Chemistry still are not seeing equal participation by women in STEM fields, but it’s and Spectroscopy Societies, which brought together six different societies to vastly improved over what it was. I’m feeling encouraged about that.” jointly hold one annual conference,” she mentions. But anyone who knows Dr. Grasselli Brown knows luck had little to do with it. Her transcendent Storied Accomplishments in Science efforts have led to her authoring 80 articles for scientific journals; writing, Within her field, Dr. Grasselli Brown is known as one of the foremost editing or co-editing nine books; launching a professional journal; becoming contributors to infrared and Raman spectroscopy — techniques used to the national president of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy; and routinely identify molecular structure and ultimately solve a variety of complex participating in scientific discussions across the country and the globe. problems. On many of the more than 600 occasions she was asked to These efforts have brought her innumerable awards, honors and distinctions. speak about her research and career, she titled her presentation, “Operation Super Sleuth.” “I hope I’ve always led by example,” she said in describing her leadership style. “I’ve tried to always be inclusive, collaborative and supportive.” “We were applying forensic techniques way before people started seeing it on ‘CSI,’” she notes, referring to the popular television show that made Due to her expertise in analytical and environmental science, Dr. Grasselli its debut in 2000. Dr. Grasselli Brown applied her work to help industry, Brown was frequently recruited to serve on government committees. academia, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Cleveland In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed her to the Science and Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Technology Advisory Committee of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She also was called to sit on a high-level

34 35 science and technology advisory panel with U.S. and Japanese peers under One Community (now Digital C). She co-chaired the 2003 International Intel President Bill Clinton. And she served on the Ohio Board of Regents for 13 Science and Engineering Fair and chaired the education committee of the years, serving as its chair for two years. Musical Arts Association/ for 13 years. Dr. Grasselli Brown still is active on the boards of the Musical Arts Association, Cleveland Post-retirement, Dr. Grasselli Brown served on the boards of directors of six Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Hungarian Development Panel, and Phi Beta corporations. Kappa Society (Cleveland Association).

Relishing the Rewards of Community Volunteerism One of Dr. Grasselli Brown’s priorities today is the Cleveland Water Alliance. Over the past few decades, Dr. Grasselli Brown has devoted her time and She founded the organization in 2013 and heads its board. “Here we are in energy to the Cleveland community, and has been actively involved in more Cleveland, sitting on one of biggest freshwater systems on the planet. Clean than 25 nonprofit organizations. water is one of the world’s biggest problems, and we have the opportunity here to collaborate with academia, industry and government and to take a “The first board I was invited to join was Holden Arboretum,” says Dr. leadership role in innovations and applications of clean water technology.” Grasselli Brown. “A year later, I became founding chair of its research committee and I chaired that committee for 15 years.” She is a founding Dr. Grasselli Brown lives in Chagrin Falls with her husband, Dr. Glenn R. board member of the Great Lakes Science Center. She has chaired the Brown, retired senior vice president of Standard Oil, and former science boards of Cleveland Scholarship Programs (now College Now Greater advisor to Governors George Voinovich and Robert (Bob) Taft. She has two Cleveland), Friends of EPrep (now Breakthrough Schools), ideastream, and stepchildren, Robyn and Eric, and three grandchildren.

36 37 2020 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honoree Bracy E. Lewis

38 39 Hailed as a stalwart of Cleveland’s financial industry and an unyielding advocate for and the elderly, Bracy Lewis epitomizes servant leadership. His tireless volunteer efforts and under-the-radar philanthropy have raised people up in countless ways and forever changed the fabric of the city.

I really do want my legacy to be one Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Mr. Lewis moved to Cleveland with his parents when he was 10 years old. “The good life” as an only child ended five years later of caring. I hope I’ve done as much when the first of his four brothers was born, he often teased his family. as I possibly could do for those who Mr. Lewis says he takes after his good-humored mom, personality-wise. “My dad are less fortunate than I am. was polite, but you couldn’t carry on a conversation with him. He didn’t have any reason for chitchat.” — Bracy E. Lewis When asked about his allegiant work ethic, Mr. Lewis credits both parents, noting that his father worked during the day at J&L Steel, then would come home from work, change clothes and head to a gas station he owned on East 71st Street and Carnegie Avenue.

40 41 A few times Mr. Lewis helped his father out at the station. “It was all right, but best friend. “My grandfather gave me that name and I’ve been very pleased with that was back in the day before they had the automatic cutoff for pumping gas, it. I haven’t run into another Bracy yet.” and one time I wasn’t paying attention — typical little boy — and, pretty soon, all his money was going down the sidewalk,” he remembers. After college, Mr. Lewis began working part-time for a friend at his CPA firm. That friend encouraged him to apply for a teller position at Quincy Savings & Loan. At Mr. Lewis has early memories of working other odd jobs and of volunteering at a time when other banks weren’t hiring minorities and discriminatory lending churches and other organizations while attending Glenville High School. But his practices, or “redlining,” was understood by many to be common practice, father wasn’t enthusiastic about the time spent on those pursuits. “I remember Quincy Savings was the precursor to what would become the largest black- my daddy saying, ‘Get you a job and quit getting these nonpaying jobs.’” But owned savings and loan in the country. young Bracy Lewis would pave his own way and “help people who needed help” when he could, because it’s what came most naturally to him. “The work I did at Quincy was very satisfying because most banks weren’t making loans to African Americans or to minority churches,” says Mr. Lewis, who quickly Excelling at Community Banking Decades Before It Came into Fashion rose from teller to loan officer to assistant vice president. “The fact that I could Mr. Lewis graduated from Fenn College (now Cleveland State University) in 1963, help African Americans get houses and make loans to churches, and also go out the first in his family to earn a degree. “In that sense, I followed in my grandpa’s into the community and give talks to various groups of people and educate them footsteps,” he says. A teacher and business owner, his grandfather was an about financial matters…yes, that was very, very, very satisfying.” He especially important role model. In fact, the name “Bracy” belonged to his grandfather’s delighted in helping the senior population and was gratified to know so many in the community by their first names.

42 43 “I wouldn’t say it was difficult work, but it was challenging,” he says. “The hours Bracy Lewis retired from his financial services career “three times before it were long because I couldn’t help the small businesspeople except in the would finally stick” — which speaks resonantly to the value he brought to the evening, because they were working during the day. And I would have to help bank every day. the churches in the evening, too, because most of the officers of the churches couldn’t leave their jobs during the day to come hear what I had to say.” “When I tried to retire from Bank One the first time,” Mr. Lewis recalls, “I thought I would go home and have a good time and travel — and I did. I went to Aruba Mr. Lewis moved from Quincy Bank to Euclid National Bank, where he for a month and had a lovely time there. But then when I came back, they were started as an assistant cashier but again quickly advanced into leadership looking for me.” Mr. Lewis agreed to return to work at Bank One three days per positions, thriving through two acquisitions. He remembers with fondness week, until he announced his retirement a second time several years later. He two counterparts at competitive banks who, together with him, focused on managed to stay away from the bank a full year before he was persuaded to developing minority communities. “People called us the three musketeers. When return to run its foundation. His final retirement was from JPMorgan Chase in they saw one of us, there would be the other two. We helped each other all the 2006, after clocking in almost 40 years. time.” Often the three would divvy up the financing for housing, commercial and infrastructure projects. Mr. Lewis feels good about all they accomplished Rising to Higher and Nobler Things together, but acknowledges, “There’s still work to be done…plenty.” When Mr. Lewis gets involved with an organization, he digs in with both feet and stays a good while — often serving as a board officer, sometimes serving

44 45 more than a couple of decades. “I’m busier in retirement than I was when I was working,” the 82-year-old Mr. Lewis muses.

The organizations he’s served include the Cleveland Restoration Society, Cleveland State University Foundation, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, the Jane Hunter Foundation, Karamu House, the Phillis Wheatley Association, the Music School Settlement, Music and Art at Trinity Cathedral, the former Huron Road Hospital, and the Growth Association (now part of the Greater Cleveland Partnership).

His approach is almost always hands-on. For example, rather than mail an annual fund check to Eliza Bryant Village, he decided to walk it in personally. Once there, he found other ways to contribute to the African American-founded long-term care facility. He built a library, provided print and audio books, and then “looking out the library window one day,” decided to recruit a landscaper friend to overhaul the grounds. He planted trees, donated benches, and then suggested offering other donors the opportunity to attach their names to bench plaques for making gifts of a certain level.

46 47 Mr. Lewis also has done some “roll up the sleeves” work with Lake View Clinton, the “Lifetime Achiever” award from the Black Professionals Association Cemetery Association, of which he is a board member, and the East Cleveland Charitable Foundation, the Ohio Humanitarian Award for Leadership from then Township Cemetery. “I’ve always been interested in the funeral business…maybe Governor George Voinovich, and a key to the city and a park named in his honor because my grandfather down in Mississippi had a funeral home,” he says. from then Mayor Mike White. It’s not uncommon to find Mr. Lewis at the park, “Maybe that’s somewhere in the back of my head or the back of my heart since located just off East Boulevard near Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens, with a trash he gave me this name.” picker in hand. “I like to make sure it looks nice and neat,” he acknowledges. Not coincidentally, Mr. Lewis also was appointed chairman of a task force organized While his board and committee involvement brought Mr. Lewis great satisfaction, by Mayor Frank G. Jackson to oversee the development and implementation of a he probably got the most enjoyment from the more informal mentoring he’s done plan for the African American Cultural Garden. Mr. Lewis held that position from throughout his life, whether it was sharing his financial expertise with people in 2007 to 2012. The first of the garden’s three pavilions was dedicated in 2016. drug recovery programs or spending time in a classroom. For many Wednesdays, he would take off work for an hour or two to tutor middle school students in In addition to music, nature and his faith, Mr. Lewis is inspired by Rev. Dr. Tremont. On Tuesdays, Mr. Lewis enjoyed visiting with younger school children Benjamin Elijah Mays’ book, “Disturbed About Man,” which is displayed on his on Cleveland’s east side. He would play classical music for the children and talk coffee table. Its message is that man can “rise above the currently accepted about music appreciation and African American history. practices and point the way to higher and nobler things.”

Mr. Lewis has received numerous honors and accolades for his good works — most notably, the President’s Volunteer Action Award from then President Bill

48 49 2020 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honoree A. Malachi Mixon III

50 51 Mal Mixon was raised in a rural town in Oklahoma with a population of 1,100. “My dad taught me to shoot when I was 10 years old,” he says. “Hunting quail is my favorite thing.” A painting above his fireplace shows Mixon on his ranch in Texas during a hunt. “My dad taught me if I ever When you volunteer, you meet a lot missed a quail, I had to cut off a finger,” he says, holding up both hands, all 10 digits intact. “I’m a real country boy. The only reason I’m in Cleveland is of interesting people and you learn because I married a girl from Shaker Heights, and I didn’t think she would new things. You can get into the much like punching cows.” tentacles of the city and feel like you’re contributing to society, giving people In addition to hunting and country living, Mr. Mixon enjoyed competing in piano and playing trumpet in the Oklahoma All-State Band as a youth. a hand up. I was blessed to be able to He also was one of two high school students to play with the Fort Smith do these things. Symphony in Arkansas. His athletic pursuits earned him 11 varsity letters in — A. Malachi Mixon III high school. “I had an offer to go into minor league baseball as a left-handed pitcher,” he says. Music and sports have remained buoyant companions throughout his life.

52 53 Mr. Mixon met his wife, Barbara, while attending Harvard College; she hire people who were smarter than me; it made my job easier. You have to was a student at nearby Wellesley College. The two were married in 1962, trust other people. When you give somebody a job to do, let them do it.” immediately after graduation and just before he would begin his four-year commission in the U.S. Marine Corps, an obligation the Navy ROTC-trained Mr. Mixon does credit his Ivy League education for providing him with second lieutenant embraced. Mr. Mixon was deployed to Vietnam, where he knowledge, tools, skills and connections to be successful in business. endured the disquietude of combat. As an aerial observer, he read maps, Harvard also taught him he could compete at a high level. “It takes a while determined coordinates and directed air strikes and artillery. In 1966, for a country boy to learn that he’s as smart as any city boy.” He praises his Mr. Mixon was honorably discharged and returned to Cambridge — this time parents, neither of whom went to college, for making sure he got the best to Harvard Business School — to earn his MBA. education possible.

“My first rule of leadership is to lead from the front,” Mr. Mixon says. “You An Unapologetic Resolve to Lead and Win have to be willing to do the tough things.” Second is teamwork. “As chairman “I never did anything in my life where I didn’t want to be the best,” Mr. Mixon and CEO of Invacare, I didn’t sit at the head of the table. I sat in the middle.” asserts. “I remember when my son was in Little League, I heard the coach Harvard didn’t teach him teamwork, Mr. Mixon says, the Marine Corps did. telling the kids, ‘It isn’t important who wins or loses — just have fun.’ I held up my arm and I said, ‘I don’t want you teaching my son it’s OK to lose. I want “A lot of people think they’re the smartest guy in the room, so they’ve got to you to teach my kid how to win.’” Mr. Mixon had the opportunity to make every decision. It doesn’t work that way,” he says. “I always tried to hear those words played back to him during his son’s senior speech at University School.

54 55 The desire to succeed on his own terms is what drove Mr. Mixon to pursue a leveraged buyout of Invacare in 1979 at the age of 39 — with a mere $10,000 in the bank. Then the vice president of marketing at Technicare, the Cleveland-based division of Johnson & Johnson that operated the subsidiary, Mr. Mixon raised $1.5 million and borrowed another $4.3 million to begin what would become his life’s work. At that time, Invacare employed 350 people in three Ohio plants and posted annual sales of $19 million. When Mr. Mixon retired in 2015, the company had more than 4,000 employees in 80 countries, with $1.7 billion in sales. Invacare had become a world leader not only in wheelchairs, but in the distribution of home health care products.

Cleveland played an important role in that success, according to Mr. Mixon. “When you develop any medical product, you need to have a clinical understanding of the product,” he says. “There’s not a better city for testing medical ideas than Cleveland. We have the greatest doctors and hospitals in the world.”

56 57 One of Mr. Mixon’s fondest memories during his tenure as CEO came when Appliance Manufacturing Co., creator of the Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner. “I put Invacare went public in 1984. After he rang the opening bell at the New York $20,000 in Royal and I got $30 million out,” he says. “I don’t really consider Stock Exchange, the company treated Wall Street to a star-studded game of myself a risk taker. I do my homework. And to me, if you’ve got a good basketball featuring top wheelchair athletes. jockey and you have a product that people want…that’s what’s important. Projections don’t mean a thing.” “I became very emotionally involved in my customers’ problems,” Mr. Mixon says. “They wanted color and styling and they wanted to be independent.” Mr. Mixon also sat on the boards of Lamson & Sessions, The Sherwin- Being able to lift and maneuver the chair easily is important, he says. “We Williams Co. and Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. made a chair for tennis with one front wheel and a chair for racing that won the Boston Marathon wheelchair division many times. The disabled person An Impassioned Champion of Civil Rights, Entrepreneurship, wants to do everything the able-bodied person wants to do…everything.” Health Care and the Arts As he learned more about his customers, Mr. Mixon got involved in their Mr. Mixon moved to Cleveland in 1968, the same year the city was causes — personally working on, for example, the Americans with Disabilities experiencing unprecedented racial violence and protests precipitated by Act of 1990. the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Mayor Carl Stokes called upon the Harvard Business Club to help ease some of the tension and provide Beyond Invacare, Mr. Mixon bought or significantly invested in dozens of support to minority-run businesses. “The buildings were still smoking when companies. Among his better-known ventures was his investment in Royal we went into the inner city,” Mr. Mixon remembers. “I volunteered as an

58 59 advisor to the owner of a fruit and vegetable market who lived in the back of Mr. Mixon endowed a chair in entrepreneurial studies at the Weatherhead his store. I found out he was hiding his money in his mattress because he School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and guest- didn’t trust banks. lectured there. He made a significant gift to Case Western Reserve’s “Sears think[box],” a building that houses inventors and entrepreneurs. While on “I have tried in every way I know to advance the minority community in the board of Cleveland Tomorrow, he helped start its venture capital firm Cleveland,” Mixon says. “I probably made every mistake in the book learning Primus Venture Capital Inc. He also helped create BioEnterprise Corp. and how to help, but I had this idea that something needed to be done. African launch MCM Capital Partners. Americans did not have the availability of capital that whites had. There weren’t as many angels (investors) that would help them, so I decided to Mr. Mixon is gratified to be chairman emeritus of , having create a minority fund and raised $30 million from banks and some other served as board chair for 13 years. He also was board chair at the Cleveland good Cleveland companies. There were no government strings attached.” Institute of Music (CIM). Its world-class “jewel box” performing space for soloists and small ensembles bears his name. “CIM is the farm team for the Mr. Mixon also devoted appreciable time, energy and capital to spawning greatest orchestras in the world,” he notes. In addition, the Mixons provide entrepreneurship. “The advice I’d give to young people is make your first prize for the triennial Cleveland International Piano Competition. mistakes on somebody else’s money,” he says. “I’ve backed a number of minority-owned businesses,” Mr. Mixon says. “I’m always available to help. I Mr. Mixon and his wife, Barbara Mixon live in Hunting Valley. They have two love a young person with fire in their belly and no money.” children and six grandchildren.

60 61 2019 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honorees

62 63 “What happened to me is what I think most young people need: 2019 Honoree I was mentored. I had the best of Thomas W. Adler the best mentors and it’s made all the difference.”

64 65 “It’s all about learning as much as

2019 Honoree you can and continuing to grow. Art J. Falco Complacency is not an option. We have to continually improve.”

66 67 “Positive changes have come about in Cleveland because of the ability of Clevelanders to accept the fact that 2019 Honoree America is a place for immigrants Robert P. Madison, FAIA of all colors. Racial integration in a society is important, and Cleveland has done that very well.”

68 69 “The arts enrich life. They contribute to the enhancement of education, to job development, to community building, to growth in tourism. But

2019 Honoree they also develop personal values. Barbara S. Robinson They encourage your participation in civic discourse. They widen your circle of thought and activity. They turn what you think of as yourself into ‘us.’”

70 71 2018 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honorees

72 73 “I never really thought of myself as a leader in Cleveland when I started 2018 Honoree as CEO. I concentrated hard on the Toby Cosgrove, M.D. institution and how the institution could benefit the community.”

74 75 “The ancient Jewish prophet, Hillel,

2018 Honoree said it all in two sentences: ‘If I am not Robert D. Gries for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I?’”

76 77 “You have to think about what it is you’re interested in doing and where you want to try to make a difference, 2018 Honoree where you want to have some impact Steven A. Minter in the long run. And you have to step forward to figure out what more you can do to really make a difference.”

78 79 “In Cleveland, if you raise your hand, you’ve just volunteered. You can be a part of this wonderful community

2018 Honoree without having to have lived here Jerry Sue Thornton, Ph.D. your entire life. You’re rewarded for wanting to be involved and wanting to use your talents by being allowed to use them. There’s a place at the table.”

80 81 2017 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honorees

82 83 “God has blessed me to open some doors that I never thought I’d open,

2017 Honoree meet people who I never thought I’d Carole F. Hoover meet. I owe whatever I can give to other people, opening any doors of opportunity for others that I can open.”

84 85 “In order to be a leader, you have to be a servant first. Learning to be a good 2017 Honoree Samuel H. Miller servant gives you a foundation for great leadership.”

86 87 “There’s a Jewish tradition that you stand on the shoulders of giants. It’s what comes before you that allows 2017 Honoree you to take the next step. Part of life Albert B. Ratner is learning the lessons of the people who came before you and adding what you can.”

88 89 “What creates a heritage is neighborhood commitment, respect

2017 Honoree for people, being willing to challenge Michael R. White the status quo, being willing to risk what you’ve developed and an abiding belief in the people of Cleveland.”

90 91 2016 Cleveland Heritage Medal Honorees

92 93 “Think of the world as a million candles. If God made a million candles since the beginning of time, and there have been about 200,000 2016 Honoree Morton L. “Mort” Mandel candles lit, there’s still an awful lot of darkness. I’ve lit a few candles myself, and I’m going to go on and light as many candles as I can.”

94 95 “Some of the greatest assignments we receive in life as a servant are the leadership responsibilities thrust upon us that we were not seeking. 2016 Honoree If you do what you have to do and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. you do it well, you will be given more than you can handle. Service is what is greatness. You can get fame from other means.”

96 97 “I didn’t take on any assignment or agree to be a part of an organization or cause where they just wanted to use my name and my position. I’m a person who if I commit to doing 2016 Honoree something, I am all in. I’m not an ‘in Sandra Pianalto name only’ type of individual. The only way you can be all in is if you are passionate about the cause and about the impact the organization

can make.”

98 99 “The key to getting things done in this community is number one, know the facts. If you know the facts and 2016 Honoree Richard W. “Dick” Pogue are willing to work hard and are collaborative, you’re going to get things done.”

100 101 “My parents were first-generation Americans who struggled hard. They 2016 Honoree The Honorable underscored that as citizens of the George V. Voinovich United States, we had an obligation to give back to our community.”

102 103 It is a privilege to join this community in paying tribute to Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Congratulations to Mal, whom we’ve Bracy E. Lewis and A. Malachi Mixon III. known for decades; Bracy, with Their contribution to the business, civic whom Bob worked on civil rights and philanthropic community will have an issues; and especially to our dear impact on Northeast Ohio for generations to friend Jenny, one of Cleveland’s most come. My very best wishes to amazing and accomplished persons. three cherished friends.

Sally and Bob Carole F. Hoover

104 105 JENNY, BRACY AND MAL… JEANETTE GRASSELLI BROWN BRACY E. LEWIS A. MALACHI MIXON III You represent the very best of Cleveland. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor. My very best wishes to these three very deserving community leaders

Joanie and Tom Adler Barbara S. Robinson

106 107 JEANETTE GRASSELLI BROWN JENNY, BRACY, AND MAL BRACY E. LEWIS A. MALACHI MIXON III Hearty congratulations on receiving this year’s Cleveland Heritage Medal Congratulations for your outstanding contribution to our Greater Cleveland community Dick Pogue Enid Rosenberg

108 109 “The greatness of a community is most Congratulations to all three 2020 Cleveland Heritage Medal recipients! accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” JENNY BROWN, BRACY LEWIS, AND MAL MIXON, —Coretta Scott King Cleveland is better because of you! We are so proud to call you friends and supporters of CSU! Congratulations to the 2020 Cleveland

Heritage Medal honorees. With best wishes and warm regards, Thank you for the compassionate President Harlan Sands and Your Many Friends at actions you have carried out in support Cleveland State University of our community.

110 111 The Cleveland Restoration Society Salutes Bracy E. Lewis Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Bracy E. Lewis, and Honorary Life Trustee A. Malachi Mixon III are proof that you can make a difference when committing to change. Lifetime Achievement in Historic Preservation Award Winner 2019 You’ve proved that when we work together Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees toward a common goal progress is made. Founding Banker of the Heritage Home Program — 2,000 loans for $75 million and still growing, since 1993 PNC is proud to congratulate you as recipients Chair, The African-American Experience in Cleveland project of the Cleveland Heritage Medal. Friend to All

112 113 “If your actions inspire others to dream Congratulations on this more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams well-deserved recognition, Mal! JEANETTE GRASSELLI BROWN Your leadership, vision and philanthropy have BRACY E. LEWIS benefitted our community and will continue to A. MALACHI MIXON III do so for years to come. We’re proud to call you Your selfless and unparalleled leadership founder, mentor and friend! will forever enrich our community.

Your Friends at MCM Capital Partners Congratulations to the 2020 Cleveland Heritage Medal recipients.

Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE President and Chief Executive Officer The MetroHealth System

114 115 Cleveland is a better place because of Cleveland Clinic proudly salutes and thanks the life-long commitment of Cleveland Clinic Emeritus Trustee Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Bracy E. Lewis and Jeanette Grasselli Brown and Cleveland A. Malachi Mixon III to our community. Clinic Chair Emeritus A. Malachi Mixon III, In a year fraught with uncertainty, there is no as well as Bracy E. Lewis for their leadership, doubting your generosity, your ability to inspire and your commitment to equity and diversity. respect for others, and commitment to the Cleveland community. We congratulate you on this well-deserved honor!

116 117 Martha Holden Jennings Foundation Congratulates Jeanette Grasselli Brown A well-deserved recipient of the Cleveland We applaud Heritage Medal, you continue to enrich the lives alumna Jeanette Grasselli Brown, of many through your inspiring achievements. emeritus trustee A. Malachi Mixon III, We are ever grateful for your leadership and and friend Bracy E. Lewis. supportive work as an advocate for quality public Sincere congratulations to the recipients of education in our community. the Cleveland Heritage Medal for their many professional achievements and outstanding dedication to improve the greater Cleveland community and beyond.

118 119 Mal Mixon’s contributions to Northeast Holden Forests & Gardens congratulates Ohio’s healthcare industry go beyond Invacare. As an investor, Mal helped Jeannette Grasselli Brown launch several entrepreneurial companies, As a longtime member of the Holden Arboretum including STERIS, now with 13,000 global Board of Directors and an Emeritus Director of Holden Associates. Forests & Gardens, Jenny’s contributions to science and conservation in Northeast Ohio will be appreciated for generations to come. We salute her groundbreaking Mal’s leadership and civic involvement have career and dedicated service to the community. indelibly changed Cleveland and the region. Best wishes to the other 2020 Honorees: Congratulations, Mal, on achieving this Bracy E. Lewis and A. Malachi Mixon III prestigious honor.

120 121 Writer: Beth Hallisy

Photographer: Gary Yasaki — Cleveland Heritage Medal Honoree Portraits

122 123 Congratulations to this year’s Cleveland Heritage Medal recipients. Your incredible JEANETTE leadership, courage, and service to others GRASSELLI BROWN is what makes our city great and we are thrilled to celebrate this wonderful BRACY E. LEWIS achievement with you. Thank you for your inspiring dedication and commitment to the A. MALACHI MIXON III Cleveland community.

124 125 2020 CLEVELAND HERITAGE MEDAL

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